Truman Game Notes (PDF)
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - For
Jeff Horner's first six games as the head coach of the Truman State University men's basketball program, four will have come against teams that were featured in the NABC's top 25 poll. Findlay (#23), Northwest Missouri State (#5) and Northern State (#18) were all ranked while Sioux Falls received 21 votes in this week's poll. Right now, the combined record of Truman's first six opponents is 22-5 (.815 winning percentage).
As has been said, Truman has no time to mourn what has gone on this season as the non-conference schedule continues to be an absolute gauntlet. The Bulldogs must now head north to face a Northern State team for just the second time in program history and a Sioux Falls program that it has never played against before. Once this trip is over, the Purple and White will get to come home for two games, which are the first two on the GLVC slate. Truman will look to avoid its first 0-5 start to a season since the 2007-08 campaign. The last time the Bulldogs started 0-6 was 1965-66.
Scouting Northern State
Since dropping its season opener by two points (72-70) to then-No. 5 Northwest Missouri State on Nov. 3, Northern State has reeled off three-straight wins to break into the NABC top 25 at No. 18. Those three wins have come against then-No. 7 Queens (87-74), Black Hills State (82-50) and South Dakota Mines (75-67). The Dacotah Bank Thanksgiving Classic will represent the Wolves' first two home games of the 2018-19 season.
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Northern State is in its ninth year under head coach, Paul Sather, who has an overall record of 165-83 (.665 winning percentage) during that span. In his ninth season, he has three players averaging at least 10 points per game including Ian Smith (13.0), Parker Fox (12.0) and Gabe King (10.5). Fox is also the team's leading rebounder with seven boards per contest so far this season.
Scouting Sioux Falls
Sioux Falls has opened its 2018-19 season with four-straight wins and only one of them was close. The Cougars rolled past Fort Hays State (89-70), Emporia State (99-63) and Waldorf (64-47) before defeating Central Missouri in overtime most recently, 73-70. Because of that 4-0 start to the season, the Cougars collected 21 votes in this week's NABC top 25 poll.
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Chris Johnson is in his 11th season at the helm for Sioux Falls men's basketball and boasts an overall record of 180-132 (.577 winning percentage) during his tenure. This year, Johnson has an absolute talent in Trevon Evans, who's averaging 22 points per game. So far, Evans has point totals of 15, 26, 19, and 28. Drew Guebert is also averging in double-figures with 18.5 per outing and Pal Teathloach is the squad's leading rebounder with 8.8 per contest.
Not Messin' Around
Tuesday's game at Washburn marked somewhat of a resurgence for senior forward,
Nathan Messer. Messer (game-high 21 points) turned in the eighth 20-point game of his career, but first since Jan. 13, 2018 at Rockhurst, which was 19 games ago for the St. Louis native. For his career in the Purple and White, Messer has now scored in double-figures 28 times with his career high being 28 at William Jewell on Dec. 3, 2016 in just his eighth game as a Bulldog.
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Nation's Elite
Despite a record of 0-4, Truman has been able to shoot the ball well from both the free throw line and behind the arc. Among GLVC ranks, the Bulldogs are first three-point field goal percentage (.426), second in three-pointers made per game (10.0), fifth in total triples converted (40), and sixth in free throw percentage (.786). Nationally, the Purple and White are 22nd in three-point field goal percentage and 33rd in free throw percentage. Individually,
Taurin Hughes is 20th in the country in three-point percentage (.560).
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Up Next
As mentioned above, Truman will come back to Kirksville for the 2018-19 GLVC openers on Nov. 29 vs. Rockhurst (7:30 p.m.) and Dec. 1 vs. William Jewell (3 p.m.).
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